Astros lock up the series win against the Angels
Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 3 hits from the 5-2 win
Houston was able to hold on and take the series opener against the Angels on Friday night, so they turned their attention to locking up the series with a win on Saturday night. Here is a quick rundown of the middle game:
Final Score: Astros 5, Angels 2.
Record: 84-47, first in the AL West.
Winning pitcher: Wade Miley (13-4, 3.13 ERA).
Losing pitcher: Dillon Peters (3-2, 4.50 ERA).
1) Astros score five early on two homers
Houston's offense went right after Dillon Peters in the bottom of the first inning. Jose Altuve reached base on a one-out triple, then scored on a two-run homer by Michael Brantley in the next at-bat to make it a quick 2-0 Astros lead.
In the bottom of the third, Altuve made it back-to-back hits with a leadoff double, then Michael Brantley was hit by a pitch to put two runners on base. Alex Bregman took advantage, powering the second homer of the night to extend the lead to 5-0.
All white top, all white belt. 🥛 pic.twitter.com/QjZGiso3W4
— Houston Astros (@astros) August 25, 2019
2) Miley goes five innings
Wade Miley meanwhile was able to record another decent outing. He retired the first nine batters he faced in order, and did not allow a hit until the top of the fourth when he gave up a leadoff single, but would still get through the inning scoreless.
Miley's first and only run allowed came in the top of the fifth, a two-out solo home run to make it a 5-1 score. He would struggle to get that last out of the inning, loading the bases with a couple of singles and a walk, but was eventually able to get out of it and strand the bases loaded.
After the long fifth inning and his pitch count rising, A.J. Hinch did not task him with going any further than the five innings of one-run baseball he provided. His final line: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 HR.
3) Houston secures the series win
With Miley shut down after his five innings, it was up to Houston's bullpen to finish the last four innings. Brad Peacock was first up, and struggled with the zone and only recorded one out before Houston moved on to Chris Devenski, who was able to finish the top of the sixth.
Joe Smith had the seventh, and despite allowing a leadoff walk which would score on an RBI-single later in the inning, was able to get through the inning with Houston still ahead 5-2. Collin McHugh took over on the mound in the eighth and was able to erase two walks to maintain the lead.
With Roberto Osuna's usage high over the last few games, he was given a break and instead Will Harris had the chance for a save. Harris was able to take advantage, throwing a scoreless frame to wrap up the 5-2 win and give Houston the series victory.
Up Next: The Astros and Angels will wrap up this series on Sunday with an afternoon start of 1:10 PM. Los Angeles is expected to send Jaime Barria (4-6, 6.35 ERA) to the mound while Houston announced that they would bring Framber Valdez (3-6, 5.58 ERA) back into the rotation to fill the spot of Aaron Sanchez who is on the injured list, at least for his next two starts.
The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.
